Picture time.

Tom, get your plane right on time.

You know how songs somehow become the soundtrack to your life? For me, music always conjures up memories of certain times in my life. Like, I can't listen to "Drops of Jupiter" by Train without thinking about the Spring of my junior year of high school when I was just about as terrible and messed up as I was young and free. Or I can't listen to "Tic Tic Toc" by the Queers without thinking about the Fall of my freshman year of college when I fell in love with the kid that played it for me on his guitar in his dorm room.

Well, the same can be said about the album "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel. For about the last year and a half, James has been playing the duo's tunes around the house (hilarious if you know James and how he wouldn't have been caught dead listening to folk music at the age of 18). So it makes sense that the day we brought Alex home from the hospital, James put this record on. I can't listen to it without remembering all of the emotions from that day. Maybe someday I will write about it more at length, but what I can say is that the 9 months I was pregnant were just about the saddest time in my life I can think of (the sadness was not pregnancy related). The situation was just about rock bottom the day that I gave birth. What I realized was that James and I were completely alone and being sent home with a 2 day old baby. He put this record on and made me dinner. I sat on the couch and cried. I called my Dad in tears. "They told me I can't breastfeed," I said through the tears. But it was more than that. I had always imagined having the support of my mother after I gave birth and the gravity of having to deal with a lot of what was happening on my own hit pretty hard. And now when I listen to the record I feel the emotions from that day. It no longer makes me sad, but it has become a part of my soundtrack. So now I pick up my little baby, hold him close during "The Only Living Boy in New York" and dance dance dance.

Because I can't change any of it. I can only change how I feel about it. And the truth is I am really lucky. I met the love of my life at 18. We have a beautiful child and we don't go without. Life is hard and will always present challenges. But I have my soundtrack to remind me that there is beauty in all of it.

8 Months Old and Still No Hair...

...well, very little.

Alex turned 8 months old on 9/24/14. He now has two teeth on the bottom. Teething is...ok. James was out of town a couple weeks ago for a training in New Hampshire, so Mary (James' mom) came to stay with me and help out with Alex. Two little teeth cut through Alex's gums the week that James left. Alex was also fussy and gnawing on his hands today. I checked his mouth and don't see signs of any more just yet. I think his little teeth are so cute though.

We are just kept so busy with this whole parenting thing and not really having anyone here in Colorado to help us out. It was nice when Mary came to help. We rarely get a babysitter (I think we have left Alex with one three times). At times I sort of get bummed because I can't go out and do everything that I used to be able to (not that I would ever trade my baby boy) but I think a lot of new moms go through feeling that way. James and I are going to see Tom Petty on Wednesday which will be a nice night out for us.

But, I seriously love this kid.

Alex is napping...so I'm blogging!

I forgot to post Alex's 7 month chair pictures in the last post, so here they are! He is such a little handsome-pants. I must say, I have a busy little man on my hands. He is into EVERYTHING. He's pulling up on furniture, pressing buttons and crawling all over the place. I don't think this baby is ever going to be chunky. He's way too busy.

We took Alex to the zoo a few weeks ago. He slept during most of the trip but I think he enjoyed seeing the monkeys and giraffes.

James is working a lot of hours this month so Alex and I have had lots of time together. He thinks midnight is a good time for playing though, so that's been a little rough.

I absolutely adore my little man! He is such a bundle of energy and so much fun!